Points of Pride
November 4, 2017
Instructional Focus:
Second quarter always goes by the quickest, and is often the most stressful. We are already entering November and we have Veteran's Day, then Thanksgiving and before you know it the stress of the holiday season will be here.
As teachers we always feel like we can't put anything else on our plates. Administration is constantly giving us new information and initiatives right? When was the last time you reflected about what was on your plate? Please know that I know how stressful it is to be a teacher! When I give you something new to do, like last week's vocabulary CODE information, I don't want you to add this on top of your plate, I want you to look at taking off something and replace it with something more effective.
Take some time this week and look at what you can intentionally add/subtract that will bring about more effective teaching practices.
**I had my monthly principal meetings, so this week's newsletter is heavy with district information, but I think it's crucial that I keep everyone "in the know."
Teacher Salary Stipend....
This is going to be given out in December as a stipend, not added to your annual amount. There are some restrictions as to who will be getting it. District is supposed to give me more information on who/how much in the next couple weeks. As soon as I know more, I will pass it along.
District Goals...
- Increase academic achievement
- Increase student enrollment
- Retain quality employees
He is working with the board and cabinet to develop sub objectives and plans for each.
Math Fact Fluency....
The ADE has defined math fluency as:
- Efficiency- student can do the problem easily
- Accuracy-readily produces the correct answer
- Flexiblility-can solve the problem with more than one strategy
- Appropriately-knows when to apply a certain procedure
Author Visit....
Transportation is going to be provided and student permission slips will be provided via Cathy Luman. More information to come, but mark your calendars.
GEF Grant Opportunity...
http://gilberteducationfoundation.org/classroom-innovation-grants/
ATI EOY Update....
I know that this is not technically EOY data; however, I felt that it was best for our student to have another set of data to determine what would be best to review prior to AzMERIT. Additionally, when looking at the scores of the first three ATI assessments, you can predict with almost 80% effectiveness where a student will score on AzMERIT, thus allowing us to target our "bubble students" more effectively.
Online Registration....
We are looking forward to Lynn having to do less data entry at the beginning of the year!
Teacher Computer Refresh Update....
We are looking at getting our devices at Settler's towards the end of this school year. Note: We will not be getting rid of our Mac's, this will be in addition.